The Samurai Song
When I had no roof I made
Audacity my roof. When I had
No supper my eyes dined.
When I had no eyes I listened.
When I had no ears I thought.
When I had no thought I waited.
When I had no father I made
Care my father. When I had
No mother I embraced order.
When I had no friend I made
Quiet my friend. When I had no
Enemy I opposed my body.
When I had no temple I made
My voice my temple. I have
No priest, my tongue is my choir.
When I have no means fortune
Is my means. When I have
Nothing, death will be my fortune.
Need is my tactic, detachment
Is my strategy. When I had
No lover I courted my sleep.
1. Dramatic Situation: Speaker sounds male, not for sure though. The speaker’s situation is also unidentifiable.
2. Structure: The poem is divided into triplets containing typically two complete thoughts in each triplet.
3. Theme: Self reliance is a major theme in the poem as well as a practice of strict self denial
4. Grammar and Meaning: The grammar used in this poem serves to give finality to each thought completed within each triplet.
5. Literal vs. Figurative Language: The author uses some abstract objects like quiet and audacity and makes them sound like actual objects while in other cases he makes literal substitutions like the temple and voice and choir and tongue substitutions.
6. Diction: The author uses very powerful emotional names to help support the theme.
7. Tone: The tone is very serious and is expressed through the author’s powerful word choice and punctuation. The verbs and adjectives are aligned as to give a feeling of solemnity or finality.
8. Literary techniques: Personification and metaphor are used throughout the poem. Paradox and use of symbols give the text its power, almost making the entire piece like a parable.
9. Prosody: Ok, I honestly am still very unsure about this element. Can anyone comment to help me out on this element?
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